Battle of Wills
by LOTSlover
Summary: One-Shot Crack Fic / Richard and Kahlan get themselves into trouble


**TITLE****:** Battles of Wills

**AUTHOR****: **LOTSlove®

**CHARACTERS****: **Richard / Kahlan

**RATING****: **PG-16

**TIMELINE****: ** Season 1 / Set between Conversion and Bloodline

**DISCLAIMER****:** I love them and love to write about them even though I don't own them or make a dime.

**SUMMARY****: ** Crack Fic / Richard and Kahlan get themselves into trouble.

**Battle of Wills**

"Hold it like this."

"I am!"

"No, not on top…like this. See how I'm holding it?"

"Like this?"

"Yes…perfect. How does it feel?"

"Hard."

"It's supposed to be hard. Does it feel comfortable in your hand?"

"How am I supposed to know? I've never held one before."

"Kahlan…"

"Yes, it feels good…I guess."

"Good, but you need to tighten your grip. Wait…not that tight!"

"Richard, this is a bad idea. I have no idea what I'm doing. Can't I just go back to camp and…"

"No, it's alright. I'm a great teacher," he reassured her. "You'll get the hang of it, I promise. It just takes some practice and a little confidence."

"I think I'll just let you take care of this yourself."

"No, I want us to do this together. Come on…it'll be fun."

"Fine," Kahlan relented with a roll of her eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She could hardly deny him what he wanted.

She had to admit standing this close to Richard was more than nice. Things had been so crazy with everything that had been happening lately. After being subjected to Giller's torture and then the awakening of the ConDar, she welcomed this time with Richard to just be normal. It allowed her a chance to be herself for just a little while, to forget about the chaos and danger storming around them.

Standing on a rock at the river's edge, Kahlan felt so peaceful with Richard standing right behind her, his hand resting lightly on her hip steadying her. She felt a warm sensation tingling through her body with the thought of Richard's hand on her like this and where it was actually placed. She could feel the soft whisper of his breath warm on her ear as he leaned in even closer, his body brushing against her back.

"Okay, now…keep your focus on the water. Look for a quick flickering of light beneath the surface and aim for it with your spear," he instructed her from behind.

This little fishing expedition had been entirely his idea. He could tell that Giller's attempt to steal her magic as well as the Blood Rage had taken its toll on her despite her protests. He could see the worry that lined her eyes as well as the fatigue that had settled over her.

He was more than anxious to get her mind off of things. Besides, time was all theirs as they waited for Zedd to meet up with them.

After making camp early, Richard had forced her to come fishing with him, insisting that he would be considered a complete failure as a woods guide to have a companion who did not know how to catch a fish. Kahlan had given him a suspicious look, but had finally agreed with a reluctant sigh.

Standing behind her now, Richard knew that it had been a very good idea. She had already begun to relax, her muscles losing some of the tension that had just been there. He'd also had ulterior motives for his teaching lesson, knowing full well how close he would have to be to help her learn how to spear a fish.

He had meant what he had said when he had told Kahlan that the only unimaginable fate was one without her. He knew that she had believed him when he had said it, but now the next step was making her believe in the possibility of a future together.

"I don't see anything," Kahlan suddenly said with a frown as she carefully studied the water.

"Keep watching," he patiently told her. "You'll see something soon."

Leaning in a little closer, Richard couldn't help but close his eyes and inhale deeply. Her scent made his head spin. Fighting against his rising need, he attempted to keep his focus on the lesson, but her closeness was making it damn near impossible especially when she adjusted her position slightly, causing her bottom to brush against his manhood.

Richard groaned softly, attempting to stifle his desire, but failing miserably. He couldn't help but tighten his grip on her hip, his fingers ever so subtly kneading her soft flesh as he forced himself to keep from pulling her back against him. The feel of her beneath his touch was setting his body on fire and he hadn't even kissed her yet. The sound of her voice suddenly broke through the thick fog of longing that had seized hold of him.

"Richard?"

"What?"

"I asked if that was a fish," she repeated a little more loudly, attempting to keep the amusement from her voice as she purposefully shifted her stance again, eliciting another soft moan from her aroused instructor.

Kahlan could feel him tensing even more behind her, his breathing growing more erratic as his fingers began to grip hold of her a little more firmly. She couldn't deny her own rush of heated arousal that began to coalesce in her core. Spirits, what this man could do to her with something as innocent as a touch.

"Where?"

"In the water," Kahlan snickered, finding amusement in his flustered state. "Richard, are you paying attention?"

"Yes, I was just…never mind," he sighed, releasing her hip momentarily to pinch the bridge of his nose. If they caught a fish today, it would be nothing short of a miracle at this rate.

Kahlan bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing, but suddenly grew more serious as movement beneath the water caught her eye. Although reluctant at first with this little lesson in fishing, she was bound and determined to prove that she could do anything that he could do.

Tightening her grip on the spear that Richard had made, Kahlan began to bring her weapon forward only to be brought to a sudden stop by a powerful hand on her wrist.

"What was that for? I had it!" Kahlan fumed in frustration.

"You had a turtle. We're catching fish, remember?" he chuckled, relaxing his grip on her wrist.

"Just making sure you were still paying attention back there," she huffed in indignation.

"Right…" he drolly replied.

Annoyed by his amused response, Kahlan wiggled her bottom again, earning herself another more drawn out moan that was much louder than the Seeker had realized. With a smug look of triumph on her face, she resumed her predatory stance, narrowing her gaze in preparation for attack.

Just then, a lock of hair abruptly fell across her brow, partially obscuring her view. Irritated with the distraction, Kahlan huffed repeatedly at it in an attempt to remove it.

"Here…let me help you…"

The sound of his voice so husky and low right against her ear, the feel of his powerful hand grasping hold of her shoulder to steady himself as he reached around her caused her to shiver involuntarily. He carefully lifted the offending strand out of her line of vision and gently hooked it back behind her ear.

Feeling her tremble as he spoke to her, Richard smiled to himself, satisfied that his own form of retaliation had succeeded. He knew full well that he was not the only one struggling to maintain some semblance of control at that moment.

Resisting the urge to nibble on her ear, he forced himself to focus on the lesson. If things continued to go the way that he hoped, this would just be the beginning of their evening alone together.

Despite Kahlan's insistence, Richard did not fear her magic nor was he fully convinced that he could be confessed by her. It was an idea of sorts that had just recently begun to take shape in the outer reaches of his mind, one that he would have to devote more time to exploring, but it had definitely given him even more reason to have hope for their future together.

Returning his attention to his Confessor and the task at hand, Richard studied the water. He adjusted his grip on her, sliding his hand up from her hip to her slim waist, his fingers splayed over her side. He could feel her breath hitch, her ribs rising sharply then falling just as quickly as his fingers settled over her.

Wrapping his fingers around her hand on the spear, he aimed her where he wanted her to go. His razor sharp gaze cut through the dark waters, catching a glimpse of what he was searching for.

"There," he firmly said, pointing her spear in the direction she needed to thrust her weapon.

Kahlan swiftly drove her spear into the water, pulling it back out to find a large fish protruding from the sharp end of her weapon. She couldn't help the excitement that suddenly lit her heart at the sight of her prize.

"And you didn't think I could fish," she taunted him as she turned to face him, holding up her catch for him to see.

"I knew you could do it, Kahlan," he smiled proudly, reaching to take the spear from her outstretched hand. "You just needed the proper guidance from the right woods guide."

"Not so fast, Seeker," she said, her mischievous smile betraying her threatening glare as she unexpectedly pulled her hand back. "This is my supper. You have to catch your own."

"You mean to tell me that I teach you how to fish out of the kindness of my heart and this is the thanks I get?" he replied with feigned indignation.

"I think you got more than enough reward out of this so-called fishing lesson," she smirked, her eyes flashing with the desire that still coursed through her blood.

Richard felt his breath catch with her words, the meaning behind them not lost on him. He knew exactly what she was referring to. Stepping closer to her, he watched as the smirk on her lips slowly began to fall away, leaving only the heated desire that radiated around them.

Her breaths grew shallow as he stood before her staring into her eyes, their boots touching. It felt as though the air had suddenly become very humid as she attempted to form words in a mind that refused to work at that moment.

Her body froze as he slowly leaned in towards her, lowering his gaze and focusing solely on her lips. "I can think of an even better reward…one that we'd both enjoy," he murmured.

Before Kahlan could respond, he captured her lips with his own, his hand cupping the side of her face as he kissed her. Richard pulled back, studying her face as he fought against the urge for more. Though shorter than either of them would have liked, the kiss had still left her lightheaded, her blood pounding so warmly through her veins.

"Care to make this interesting, Seeker?" she suddenly murmured, her eyes the darkest shade of blue that he'd ever seen.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" he replied, amused by her playfulness.

"I think it's time for a little friendly competition," she told him, sliding her fish off of her weapon and tossing it safely onto the bank.

Giving her a lop-sided grin, Richard stared at her for a moment, assessing just how far he could push this flirtatious exchange. Turning, he made his way to the bank, retrieving the other spear that he had made out of a long tree branch.

"For every fish I catch before you do, I get to kiss you," he informed her, coming to stand beside her once more, his brown eyes flashing with mischief.

"And what do I get when I catch one before you?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"You get to kiss me," he confidently replied.

"I was thinking more along the lines of you having to do the cooking each night for every fish I catch," she smiled, enjoying the startled look that passed through his face.

"You would rather get out of cooking than kiss me?" he asked in all seriousness, stunned by her response.

"Are you that afraid that you might lose?" she shot back, loving how annoyed he had become with her proposition. She knew that his ego had just taken a blow, but she couldn't let him know what he did to her every night in her dreams or how his kisses made her entire body respond to his in such a commanding way.

Giving her an irritated glance, Richard finally agreed. "You just best be prepared to be kissed hard and often, Confessor," he gloated.

"And you had better be coming up with new ways to prepare fish, Cypher" she replied with a grin as she watched him falter in his step as he made his way to take up position out on the rock.

Kahlan couldn't help the pleasure that was tingling through her at that moment. She knew that she was definitely getting to him, his annoyance growing with every challenge she shot back at him. She loved to get under his skin, seeing just how flustered she could get him. She'd never experienced openly flirtatious exchanges like this with a man and she found she enjoyed it immensely.

She also knew that she needed to be very careful. There was a very definite limit that she could push this to and she did not want to cross that line, didn't even want to tiptoe along it. She loved Richard too much to taunt him with what he couldn't have, what they both wanted so desperately. She would only end up tormenting herself as well.

Taking up position on the large rock to the right of where Kahlan now stood, Richard found his breathing growing a little more labored, his arousal rising rapidly. He loved seeing this side of her especially now that she was allowing it to show a little more frequently over time.

At the same time, she was driving him mad with wanton desire. He was quickly learning that there was a very, very thin line between mounting passion and heated irritation. It was all he could not to throw the spear into the water and just take her right there, magic be damned.

Spirits what she did to him.

"Alright…on the count of…" Kahlan slowly began, her eyes already locked on the water as she dragged out her words, searching for a fish in an effort to get a head start on him.

"Got one!" Richard yelled with glee, whipping his pole up out of the water and brandishing his prize in front of her. "One very hot, very long kiss for me," he reveled in triumph. "Not now, though, Kahlan," he held a hand up in front of him as if she was about to make her way to him at that moment. "I'd like to collect my reward all at one time if you don't mind."

Growling to herself, Kahlan shot him a menacing glare, fighting back the smile that threatened to take form. "That's not fair, Richard!"

"All is fair in love and war, Kahlan," he reminded her, thoroughly enjoying this turning of the tables. "I hope you're not backing down already because I've just begun. I plan on collecting a lot of kisses. You might not even get any sleep tonight."

Kahlan felt a shiver of arousal shot up her spine with the passion that burned in his dark brown eyes, his words intensifying her already heated desire. Despite her competitive nature, she was beginning to relish the idea of letting him win this little game.

Richard stared at her for a moment, indecision clearly evident in her face. He watched as her chest heaved with irritation, her breasts swelling with every labored breath she drew. He was only torturing himself by looking at her, both of them frustrated in more ways than one.

"And I plan on being served supper," she replied, turning her attention back to the water and away from her handsome Seeker.

Richard smiled to himself as she pushed the long flowing sleeves of her Confessor's dress further up her arms. Removing the fish from his spear, he quickly tossed it up the bank next to Kahlan's, fully prepared to earn even more kisses before this evening was over.

Turning, Richard stared intently at the water, searching frantically for more fish. Thoughts of kissing his beautiful Confessor toyed with his concentration, making it difficult to keep his focus. He was soon pulled from those thoughts, however, when he heard water splashing.

Richard turned in time to find Kahlan yanking her spear out of the water, a very large fish wiggling furiously to break free. Flashing him a pleased smile, she pulled her fish off of her deadly weapon before tossing it alongside their other catch.

"That's one night I don't have to cook," she happily pointed out. "That makes us even."

"Not for long…"

Leaning over a little further, Richard strained to spot another fish before Kahlan did. The sun was setting rapidly, daylight fading faster than he wanted. This friendly competition would have to come to an end here shortly.

Kahlan cast a sidelong glance to her right, checking on her companion's progress. She was determined to beat him despite her yearning to feel his lips on hers, his tongue filling her mouth. She felt a flutter of excitement suddenly sweep through her with the thought.

Noticing Richard steadying himself in preparation for the kill, his spear poised and ready, Kahlan used the dull end of her weapon to jab him squarely in the ribs in an attempt to keep him from beating her. Stunned, the Seeker fought to keep his balance, barely saving him from an unexpected swim.

"That is called cheating," he informed her, rubbing his side.

"It was purely an accident. You were in my way," she coyly replied, dismissing the offense with a shrug of her shoulder.

"Two can plan that game," he said, a wicked smile forming on his lips as he began to walk towards her, the dull end of his spear pointing at her.

Kahlan slowly began backing away from him, holding her free hand out in front of her. "Richard, don't you dare…" she warned, repeatedly peering over her shoulder as she inched closer and closer to the edge of the rock. Just a couple more steps and she'd been the one being fished out of the river.

"I believe it was you who started this, Confessor," he chuckled lightly, enjoying every moment of it.

"Alright…alright! I surrender…you win!"

"I never thought I'd see the day when you gave up so easily," he said, back up and allowing her to walk past him to the safety of the river bank.

Grabbing her by the elbow as she passed him, Richard spun her around, capturing her in his powerful embrace. His lips immediately found hers, kissing her with all the pent up passion that had been building all evening.

His hands slid into her hair, holding her close as his tongue pleaded for entrance. Kahlan readily responded, opening her mouth and moaning as his tongue began to stroke her. He had never kissed her like this before, the urgency behind it awakening her magic from secret place deep inside of her.

Finally pulling back for air, Richard stared at her for a moment, breathing heavily as he attempted to regain his senses. It had taken every ounce of strength he possessed to finally pull away from her.

"We had better head back to camp," he softly panted. "I believe I have some fish to fry for dinner."

Seeing the mutual longing burning brightly in her blue eyes, Richard reluctantly turned away from her, knowing that if he didn't he wouldn't be able to hold himself back any longer. Gathering up the fish, he began to make his way back to camp.

Watching him as he walked away from her, Kahlan could hardly make her body work. She had been so desperate to taste more of him but the sudden stirring of her magic reminded her of the boundary that separated them.

As she started to follow him back to camp, she began to wonder what other forms of competition she could provoke him into. Watching him as he walked, she began to think that maybe Richard needed to practice his fighting skills.

They still had time to kill as they waited for Zedd to meet up with them after hiding the Box of Orden. And Richard had told her once before that she needed to help keep him sharp. Maybe she would just have to take him up on that challenge…

**THE END**


End file.
